Escotology

Eschatology is the field of Christian theology which concerns the study of last things. It is the study of Christ’s future return, the resurrection, the rapture, the final judgment, the eternal blessedness of the redeemed with Christ, and the eternal punishment of nonbelieves apart from his presence.

The Millennium refers to the period of 1,000 year reign of Christ mentioned in Revelation 20:3. The exact timing and nature of what is meant by the Millennium is debated between three viewpoints: Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Premillennialism.

Rev 20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan,, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.

Postmillennialism holds to the view Christ will return after the millennium. In a strictly chronological sense, postmillennialists hold that Christ returns after the millennium. In fact, amillennialists were known as postmillennialists until the twentieth century. 9 Postmillennialists generally agree with the amillennial interpretation of Revelation 20.10 The two agree the millennium is figurative, not a literal one thousand year period, and that it “is a time in which the gospel is preached throughout the world” as Satan is currently bound.11 They also agree on the general course of events in the end times: When Jesus comes, then, the general physical resurrection of the righteous and the wicked occurs, followed by the final judgment, and culminating with the new heavens and new earth.12

*What distinguishes postmillennialism from amillennialism is not the timing of the second coming in relation to the millennium but the nature of the millennium.13 Whereas amillennialism expects the Church to experience both victory and suffering simultaneously until the second coming, postmillennialism maintains a gradual end to much of the Church’s suffering before Christ returns. They expect a golden age of righteousness on earth, the millennium, in which the church experiences increasing prosperity and great influence on the culture. This golden age is what the postmillennialist understands as the millennium.

Postmillennialism is that view of the last things which holds that the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and the saving work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of individuals, that the world eventually is to be Christianized and that the return of Christ is to occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace commonly called the millennium.

Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living will be saved.”15 This will lead to “a time in history prior to Christ’s return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and of nations.”16 This increased percentage of the population who become believers who seek to live according to God’s will, which naturally leads to greater and greater degrees of peace and justice within their respective communities. It is important to note that this prosperity is a result of a large percentage of the population of the world living according to God’s word.

Postmillennialists usually point to The Great Commission, arguing that it “will be entirely successful.”17 They also point to the messianic Psalms, especially Psalm 2, particularly verses 7-9, “… I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” In addition, they draw attention to the parables of Matthew 13, which seem to indicate the prodigious growth of the church.

Amillennialists interpret the millennium … as describing the present reign of the souls of deceased believers with Christ in heaven. They understand the binding of Satan … as being in effect during the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ, though ending shortly before Christ’s return. They teach that Christ will return after this heavenly reign.

Amillennialists believe we are presently living in the millennial kingdom, which is characterized by the simultaneous experiences of gospel victory and suffering for the gospel. This obviously indicates amillennialists interpret “one thousand” figuratively.

The gospel is victorious because Satan is curently bound, rendering him incapable of preventing the spread of the gospel; yet he is not utterly powerless from persecuting the Church. Just before the end, Satan will again be permitted to deceive the nations and persecution will increase dramatically. Christians are awaiting the visible, bodily return of Christ, which brings an end to all their suffering. The second coming occurs concurrently with the general resurrection3 and a public rapture4 of the Church, who immediately returns to earth with Christ. Christ then judges the world, and finally ushers in the eternal state.

Important to the amillennialist understanding is the tension of “already/not yet.”

“Amillennialists hold that the promises made to Israel, David, and Abraham in the Old Testament are fulfilled by Jesus Christ and his church during this present age.”6 Since these promises have been fulfilled, no future fulfillment is required.

Amillennialists base their interpretation of Revelation 20 as recapitulating or re-present the events described in Revelation 19, rather than following it in chronological succession.7

Augustine

Premillennialism can be defined as, “the doctrine stating that after the Second Coming of Christ, [Christ] will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final consummation of God’s redemptive purpose in the new heavens and the new earth of the Age to Come.” 18 According to historic Premillennialists, the present age will continue until a brief period of tribulation, after which “Christ will return to earth to establish a millennial kingdom.”19 At the second coming there will be a resurrection of believers and a public rapture.

These resurrected believers reign with Christ, who will, “be physically present on the earth in his resurrected body, and will reign as King over the entire earth.”20 During this period, Satan is “bound and cast into the bottomless pit so that he will have no influence on the earth during the millennium.”21 After the millennium, Satan is released for a brief time, during which he leads astray a portion of the world’s population in rebellion to Christ. Christ destroys this rebellion, judges the world, then ushers in the eternal state. This interpretation assumes, in contrast to the amillennialist and postmillennialist, that the events described in Revelation 19 and 20 are chronologically successive.

Although Revelation 20 is the only passage to specify a period of 1,000 years, and thus the various positions (a-, pre-, and post-) as “millennial,” this is not the critical question that separates premillennialism from the other two. The critical question is whether this age will issue immediately into the final / eternal state (“the golden age”), or whether a further, intermediary stage of the eschatological kingdom (a “silver” age) lies between. Premillennialists argue that in addition to Revelation 20 passages such as Isaiah 11 and 65-66, Zechariah 14, and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 also indicate such an intermediary stage, while amillennialists and postmillennialists will refer these passages either to the church age or the final state.

Early Church Fathers such as Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Apollinaris, Commodian, Lactantius, and Victorinus would all be on the list.

Conclusion

The question of the millennium is an in-house family debate among Christians

Sugar and Salt on Grits

When studying Revelation and eschatology it is all too easy to lose sight of the call of Christ in Revelation, which is to live victoriously as overcomers of sin, the world, and the devil and to remain faithful to him at all costs because he will make all things right in the end. Whatever view one thinks best reflects the teaching of Scripture, it must always be kept in mind that Scripture always presents the doctrine of last things as a motivation for faithful living.

Jude warns against a heresy that in some ways resembles what later became Gnosticism, a philosophy that regarded physical matter as evil and spirit as good. This way of understanding the world often encouraged people to do whatever they wished with their physical body. In addition, the false teachers whom Jude addresses apparently were guilty of rebellion against authority, presumptuous speech, and sexual immorality. Jude rebukes them for deceiving unstable believers and corrupting the Lord’s Supper. Although the date and author of Jude is uncertain, the social situation is obvious: A group of false teachers are wreaking havoc in the congregation, and this must be stopped.

Jude 24–25 (CSB): Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

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Why did the Lord give us teaching on the end times and things to come?

Like a move that you have already seen the ending.

REV 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.

****Satan is a wounded lion

---Martin Luther once said, “Even the Devil is God's devil.

REV 21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:, Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples,, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The new heavens and new earth is the culmination of the biblical story, when Christ accomplishes God’s original purposes for creation, reverses Adam’s curse, culminates his fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, and, ultimately, provides his people a place to dwell with God for eternity.